Affiliations: Département de Psychologie, Université du
Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada | Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University,
Montréal, QC, Canada
Note: [] Corresponding author: Claude M.J. Braun, Centre de Neurosciences
Cognitives, UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C
3P8. Tel.: +1 514 987 3000 (4814); E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: PURPOSE: The intact right hemisphere presents an omissive
response-bias and the left hemisphere a commissive response-bias in adults.
This research sought to determine whether these hemispherically lateralized
response-biases manifest early developmental and uncompensable brain implementation. METHODS: Sixteen teenager and adult participants with
focal left hemisphere lesions and fourteen with focal right hemisphere lesions
(all with childhood onset: M=13 year recovery period) and 14 normal control
participants were recruited. A computerized multitask high order working memory
procedure was designed to generate many errors of omission and of commission. RESULTS: The expected double dissociation of response-bias distortion as
a function of lesion side was significantly demonstrated on this task and was
significantly frontal-lobe dependent. CONCLUSION: The hemispheres of the brain have an opposed response bias that
is robustly implemented in infancy through adulthood.
Keywords: Response-bias, hemispheric specialization, multitasking, early vulnerability, errors of commission, errors of omission, frontal lobes, executive functions, energetics
